Fright Cargo

Photo Credit:REUTERS/Mohamad DabboussMinistry keen to be accurate in the planning and delivery of the projects to meet the expectations of all: minister11 February 2017Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti yesterday said that all roads and transportation projects are underway according to plans and schedules.

“Our projects at the airport and the port, roads and transportation in general are progressing as planned, to achieve the goals and aspirations of the wise leadership in this regard, and to meet the aspirations of the people of Qatar,” the Minister told the local media at the opening of the 10th Al Khor Fly-In Day at the Al Khor Airport. He stressed the ministry’s keenness to be accurate in the planning and delivery of the projects to meet the expectations of all. The government considers infrastructure and transportation projects as one of its priorities with QR42bn allocated in its 2017 budget, representing 21.2% of the total budget for the year.

Specifically, QR10bn have been allocated for rail projects and Hamad Port, along with a large number of roads including the Lusail road, Al Rayyan road, Dukhan road, the new ring road for trucks and the new Al Khor road. The Fly-In Day took to a sensational start as daredevil pilots thrilled hundreds of aviation enthusiasts at the event. Aerophiles watched in awe as planes roared through the clear blue skies as aviators executed breathtaking aerobatic feats.

The much anticipated annual event, organised by Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in cooperation with Qatar Flying Club, saw the participation of flying clubs from Qatar and other GCC countries. A major highlight of the event is a display of a diverse collection of 60 light and medium planes from private jet owners and commercial aviation companies. Al Sulaiti led the official launch of the two-day event which witnesses a number of exciting features including paramotor show, drone show, aerobatic show, formation flying, RC models and free flying.

In addition, the event has also children’s activities and entertainment in store for the visitors. CAA Chairman Abdullah bin Nasser Turki Al Subaie said the event has seen development every year cementing a strong presence on the map of tourism events in the region to spread the culture of civil aviation. The event turned out to be both entertaining and educational to visitors.

Families and children took advantage of the rare opportunity to take photos with the different types of stunning aircraft on display as well as talk to pilots on interesting facts on aviation and their aircraft.

Sponsored by Qatar Airways and Ooredoo, the event, which sees thousands of visitors each year, has been an excellent platform for pilots and the public to interact and promote awareness among young people about general aviation as an important sector.

Freight Vehicles Show Major Increase in Mileage Travelled UK – Figures[1] from the UK’s Department of Transport have shown that traffic on the country’s roads reached record highs, something which should alarm the country’s road haulage operators and sparking concern from a road safety charity on the sustainability of the road network. The figures show that 320.5 billion vehicle miles were travelled on Great Britain’s roads in the year ending December 2016, which was 1.2% higher than the previous year. This is a record level, 2% higher than the pre-recession peak in the year ending September 2007.

Rolling annual motor vehicle traffic has now increased each quarter in succession for over three years.

Breaking down the figures further reveals car traffic increased by 0.7 per cent to a record high of 249.5 billion vehicle miles, whilst freight statistics show van traffic (LGV) rose by 3.4% to a new peak of 48.5 billion vehicle miles and HGV traffic grew by 2.8% overall to 17.1 billion vehicle miles. The report suggests that this rise is partly due to the growth in the economy as well as lower fuel prices. However the figures should ‘give cause for alarm’, according to road safety charity Brake[2], with Gary Rae, campaigns director, commenting:

“These rises are not sustainable. Provisional estimates suggest that both ‘A’ roads and motorways experienced the highest level of vehicle traffic recorded; motorway traffic increased by 2.1% to 67.9 billion vehicle miles in 2016, continuing a long-term trend of increasing motorway traffic over the past six years. “The figures are heading the wrong way and we’re heading for gridlock.

The government needs to get a grip and outline what it intends to do.

Back in 2015 we highlighted the lethal consequences of too many vehicles on our roads.

Freight Vehicles Show Major Increase in Mileage Travelled UK – Figures[1] from the UK’s Department of Transport have shown that traffic on the country’s roads reached record highs, something which should alarm the country’s road haulage operators and sparking concern from a road safety charity on the sustainability of the road network. The figures show that 320.5 billion vehicle miles were travelled on Great Britain’s roads in the year ending December 2016, which was 1.2% higher than the previous year. This is a record level, 2% higher than the pre-recession peak in the year ending September 2007.

Rolling annual motor vehicle traffic has now increased each quarter in succession for over three years.

Breaking down the figures further reveals car traffic increased by 0.7 per cent to a record high of 249.5 billion vehicle miles, whilst freight statistics show van traffic (LGV) rose by 3.4% to a new peak of 48.5 billion vehicle miles and HGV traffic grew by 2.8% overall to 17.1 billion vehicle miles. The report suggests that this rise is partly due to the growth in the economy as well as lower fuel prices. However the figures should ‘give cause for alarm’, according to road safety charity Brake[2], with Gary Rae, campaigns director, commenting:

“These rises are not sustainable. Provisional estimates suggest that both ‘A’ roads and motorways experienced the highest level of vehicle traffic recorded; motorway traffic increased by 2.1% to 67.9 billion vehicle miles in 2016, continuing a long-term trend of increasing motorway traffic over the past six years. “The figures are heading the wrong way and we’re heading for gridlock.

The government needs to get a grip and outline what it intends to do.

Back in 2015 we highlighted the lethal consequences of too many vehicles on our roads.